View source for Wolfsbane (Rebel Angels) by Gillian Philip

{{infobox1
|title=Wolfsbane (Rebel Angels)
|author=Gillian Philip
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Teens
|summary=This third instalment in the Rebel Angels series is just as satisfying as the first two. Engaging characters (including a to-die-for hero), plenty of action, a complicated and thrilling plot - what more could you want? We loved it as we knew we would.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|pages=424
|publisher=Strident
|website=http://www.gillianphilip.com/
|date=August 2012
|isbn=1905537352
|video=9bGD6BjwZQc
|cover=Philip_Wolfsbane
|aznuk=1905537352
|aznus=1905537352
}}

After the terrible events at the end of the [[Rebel Angels: Bloodstone by Gillian Philip|second book]] in Gillian Philip's ''Rebel Angels'' sequence, we move on a decade or so. Finn is back in the mortal world. But Rory and Jed have stayed with Seth, now the captain of the MacGregor clann's dun. Faerie queen Kate NicNiven continues to plot against Seth and to wrest Rory, the Bloodstone and prophesied saviour, from him. She is as determined as ever to destroy the veil separating the mortal and faerie worlds.

As Seth struggles to keep Kate at bay, Rory tires of life as a virtual prisoner of the dun. Able to tear the veil at will, he pays regular visits to the mortal world and, on one of his visits there, tricks Hannah into returning with him. Hannah's life in her own world is pretty miserable so, despite the shock, she isn't in any hurry to get home. Even maniacal, murderous kelpie water horses don't put her off.

And then the years of stalemate shatter and Kate makes her move. And Seth must risk everything to save the veil, his race, and his son...

I know that Gillian had a difficult time writing this one. And for me, all the effort expended was stupendously worth it. She had (has?) nothing to worry about at all. ''Wolfsbane'' continues the main themes of betrayal and revenge in this series with absolute panache. We find out some more about what lies behind Kate's determination to destroy the veil. And we're allowed to inch a bit closer to Seth (just what we girls wanted). Yum. But we also meet a new character in Hannah, who starts out badly but draws more and more of our interest as the book goes on. And we take back up with both Jed and Finn, now grown into adults with an important place in the thread of the series' overall arc. Best of all, and inbetween the political machinations and the violence, we get a wonderful love story of piercing sweetness and valour against all odds. I'm still mooning over it now, several days after I'd finished reading.

''Wolfsbane'' is one of those books that you read in one sitting because you just can't put it down. Not reviewer hyperbole. You really can't put it down. I love Philip's faeries - they're vital and vivid and, despite their longevity, live extreme lives where everything is without caution. In love, anger, cold-hearted revenge, grief and battle, these faeries never hold back. And it makes them irresistible.

How many books for this series? However many, it won't be enough. And when do we get the next one? Tomorrow? If not, why not?

You might not realise there is a ''Rebel Angels'' prequel available for the Kindle. If you love this series, don't miss [[Frost Child by Gillian Philip|Frost Child]]. For more supernatural fantasy, you could also look at [[Dark Angels by Katherine Langrish]].

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[[Category:Fantasy]]